Abrupt Clash!
by Katjae
Summary: Niles and Male Corrin are married, but have their own tasks after Xander is crowned King. In attempts to clean up the slums of Nohr, Corrin is contracted to assist a wealthy estate owner. Niles meets with a familiar face - a past relationship who brings shocking news. . . . A contract out for his death and a young woman he has yet to meet.Edit: Rating:M Sex themes, mentions of rape
1. Chapter 1

The Fancy Estate – Abrupt Clash!

Éponine

~Bull shitting Nina into a Male Corrin and Niles relationship. Don't know how I'm going to do Kana yet, but let's be perfectly honest – Niles probably had past flings. Nina is not related to Corrin, so she would be his step-child.

Premise:

After Revelation (Could also work for Conquest's Path), the war is finished, but there is plenty left to do in both Nohr and Hoshido. Corrin, Prince of both nations, spends his time rebuilding and rekindling relations. Nohr is more heavily damaged by the years of war and lack of food, so Corrin – with the help of Niles, Jakob, Silas, Felicia, and Lilith – are fronting the efforts in Nohr's most oppressive settings.

Their astounding performance precede them and Corrin is contacted by the owner of a wealthy estate owner to protect his fortune and prized collection from a group of bandits, said to be targeting him next.

Silas assures the Estate Owner that Niles – a man with a past history of break-ins and criminal activity – would be able to locate and detain the group before any damage is inflicted.

End of Premise: Basically, the same plot beginning as Abrupt Clash, but with a bit of a twist.

Story Start:

Niles laughed to himself – the look on the face of whoever came through this opening would be priceless. Silas and Corrin waited nearby for his signal – same gig as usual. They managed to bring in and rehabilitate several outlaws and criminals, punishing them only slightly for their crimes and providing them stable jobs to find honest living – all fine and dandy, but this part was still his favorite. Apprehending the small group and capturing them all in one go – they never see it coming.

He heard rustling from the outside – perfect, it was just about time to begin. He raised his hand up to alert the other two, but then waited for a visual.

A couple of knives came flying out from the entrance instead.

Caught off guard, one knife scathed him barely and he dodged the other one.

"What the hell?" Niles called out. From the shadows, he saw a flicker of movement before someone covered in black flew at him. The assaulter had a set of dual knives, and was very skilled. Not to mention fast.

"Niles!" Corrin shouted, running to aid him. Silas was right behind him and the three of them cornered the lone thief.

"Hahaha! You've gotten soft!" The thief said, "Who would have thought that you, of all people, would have become complacent? Come, now, did you expect every job to be a cake walk?"

"Wait a minute . . . That voice . . ."

The thief took off her headdress, exposing a woman with light pink hair, emerald eyes, and a dark skin color. She grinned at Niles, who was taken aback by this sudden development.

"Three against one? I've dealt with worse odds than that."

"Éponine?" Niles exhaled.

"In the flesh, my dear. I heard that you had taken this job, and I couldn't resist. The look on your face is priceless! While you boys were busy dealing with me, you forgot to check a different entrance. A tad more difficult to swing, but it got at least three of my guys in undetected. As I said – you are getting soft."

"Éponine?" Corrin repeated, "You've told me about her, I think."

"Never mind that," Silas interjected, "There are others that breached the Estate. We should go find them."

"As if I'd let you, dear child. So young, so amusing. Let us dance, shall we?"

"You're outnumbered. There's no way you'll win," Silas said back to her.

"Wait. Don't approach her," Niles said, "She's not just a thief . . . her skills rival the Hoshidan Assassins when it comes to hand-to-hand combat and shadow play. Do not underestimate her."

"Really?" Corrin asked, "So we need to work together to capture her."

"Oh dear. I believe I've given you the wrong impression," She moved around lithely, "I wanted to test your skills – not kill you or harm you. This talk of assassinations is just not me. Sure, I may have similar traits, but murder is not my trade. Well, not primarily, anyway."

". . . Then what do you want?" Niles asked. There was no trace left of amusement in his demeanor – seeing Éponine again made him uneasy.

"I've come with a simple warning. Take this," She handed Niles a document, "That is a contract I managed to wrangle from an old friend of ours. An assassination contract. For you."

Niles read the contract over. Sure enough, someone took a contract out for him and his party.

"It seems like you've pissed off some very important people in the chaotic webs of our little underworld. I haven't been able to figure out who put out the hit – not yet – but I've been tracking it for a while now. When I learned of your whereabouts, I thought I'd give you a friendly heads-up. As well as to make sure you haven't been getting lazy. Had I been the one handed that Contract, you would have died."

"I don't need you watching out for me," He closed his fists, crumbling the contract in his hand.

"Is that so? I wonder . . . how true that actually is . . ." She vanished from sight and Niles immediately scanned the area to pinpoint her location. She managed to get behind him very quickly, kick the back of his knees so he stumbled forward, and caught him with a knife to his throat.

"Dear . . . you haven't seen nothing yet." Corrin reacted, but she put up a finger.

"If I were your enemy, that would be twice now. You would have been dead twice over," She took back the knife and pushed Niles into Corrin, then disappeared from view.

"Are you okay?" Corrin held Niles until he regained balance.

"I'm fine," There was a look in his eye that Corrin had never seen before. Niles could be a hothead at times, but that look . . .

"I understand that you are still upset with me. I did not expect any different. I had my reasons for leaving, just as you had yours."

"It took me a few years to realize it, but I know why you left. That's not why I'm angry," Niles said, "I did search for you, though. I never found even a trace of where you went. If you could find me so easily, why didn't you?"

"I had my reasons, just as I have my reasons now. It was better to never be seen again."

Niles visibly tensed up. He recalled the conversation he had with Niles, about people in his past that he didn't mind. Éponine was one of them, though he didn't say too much about _her_ specifically. Corrin knew of her position, though, so he decided to speak in Niles' place.

"Did you just come here to warn us about the contract?"

"Hm? Are you the Prince of Nohr that my informant told me of?"

". . . Yes. But that doesn't matter."

"They want you captured alive. Ransom for King Xander. You did not do a very good job covering your tracks and identity."

"That was never a priority of mine. But what I'm concerned about is who set this up? You are tracking them?"

"I am. I know that it must be someone in our shared history – someone who has taken this life to the far extremes and has made a living off of people's suffering. Your operation thus far has threatened his very lively hood. I thought the contract's assassin was targeting me – it was complete luck that I stumbled onto it, though I feel like it's a shared enemy. Just my intuition."

"I see. So my life has to be threatened before you stop by and say hello? I see no reason why we have to collaborate," Niles said.

"Niles . . ." Corrin stared at him pleadingly, "This is serious. If someone is targeting us, we better learn who and quickly."

"This is one of the job hazards," he rebutted quickly, "We knew of the dangers before we began. This information doesn't change that fact."

"You are being stubborn," Éponine sighed, "I am sorry for intruding on your job, clearly you are handling yourself quite well. Well enough to keep your pride intact and endanger one of the princes you've sworn to protect. This contract does not only affect you – Prince Corrin is a major target in this as well."

Niles didn't answer her. Silas, Instead, chirped in with his own questions.

"Well, standing here doesn't change the fact that we are on a job, evidently we are being targeted by assassins, and there are at least three other members of your group in the Estate. Why exactly did you feel the need to break in if you were just on a social visit?"

"Oh, that. I have my reasons," Éponine responded.

"And like everything else, you won't share what those reasons are," Niles shrugged almost dramatically, "I'm starting to think that's your answer for everything."

". . . Maybe it is. What of it?" Éponine shook her head, "I haven't decided whether or not to explain the whole situation to you. Not the contract, that's an easy one to figure out. Everything that has happened since I left and the reasons why I decided to leave in such a rush. However, continue to act like this and I will only see the child that I helped fumble his way through the streets of the slums."

"I am not a child. And I don't need your help."

Corrin and Silas made eye contact, then both sighed at the same time.

"He's your husband," Silas reminded.

"I know," Corrin laughed softly.

"Husband?" Éponine repeated in genuine shock. Of all the things that Corrin and Niles did decide to hide was their marriage. Because of the political upheaval after Xander's return and the people's natural suspicion of Corrin's motivations, they decided it was best to keep Corrin's love affair a secret from public eyes.

"I wasn't sure that you'd ever settle down. Though he is your type, isn't he?" She laughed.

"I'm surprised your network of spies didn't tell you that."

"Ha . . . Right. Anyway, before you get too worked up, here come my guys," She pointed behind the three of the them. Three more men came from the shadows.

"Ma'am. We found it," The middle one came forward and handed her some documentation.

"This is the other reason I came here. This man is a counterfeit. He gets his funding from crushing the efforts of honest working men, forcing them to the streets and lining his own pockets. He's no better than the Nobles who pay workers next to nothing for back breaking labor. And these documents can prove that."

She handed them over to Corrin. Silas and Corrin began looking at the documents – sure enough, they were what she claimed them to be.

"Look around yourself. I'm sure you'd find more of it stashed away, but all I needed was enough to prove his guilt. I was contracted by one of his victims to sort this out and hopefully repay the families robbed of their lively hoods."

"This is worth investigating," Silas said to Corrin, "If these documents are true, then . . ."

"Then we would be protecting the same kind of man we are trying to rehabilitate . . ." Corrin sighed.

"Not everyone is who they claim to be," Niles said, "Which is why I still don't think I should trust you. You just happened across a contract for my death and are working for one of the families allegedly destroyed by this man? If that's true, then how are you getting paid? It's not like that family would have anything to offer you."

"Cynical as always. Is money the only reason to do anything anymore? If so, then why are you doing this? Apprehending criminals, converting them to the path of righteousness, and dethroning corruption? How much does that pay you? The underlying problem has nothing to do with how I came about your contract – it's that we are being targeted by the same man for doing about the same thing. Some would call me a vigilante, though you are doing the exact same thing now that I've been doing for nearly two decades. The only difference is, you are sanctioned by a prince and I am following my gut and my heart."

"You are doing this out of the kindness of your heart?"

"No. I want revenge as much as I want justice, but helping people is a good bonus. I make money other ways. Some legitimate, others not so much. I do what I have to to survive and to . . ." She paused. It wasn't like her to stumble on her own words, " . . . to protect the one that I love. That's all."

"'Love', huh?" Niles shook his head, "And you were surprised when I 'settled down'. So who is he? One of those jokers?"

"How typical. I say love and the first thing that pops into your head is a romantic interest," Niles looked at her questioningly, though he said nothing else.

"Well, we should probably find more evidence and lock this case down," Silas sighed, "Guess this turned out to be more complicated than we thought."

"Right. Niles?" Corrin asked, "Are you coming with us?"

"No. I will watch her."

"Fine," Corrin relented, "But just be careful?"

"I will be. Watch his back," Niles said to Silas.

"Of course."

"I am not going anywhere."

"Yeah, last time I heard you say something like that, it ended up with a knock out poison and three hours of nausea when I woke up. I ain't buying it."

"That's because you were being persistent. And I made up my mind. If you recall, I offered to take you with me. I was leaving, no matter how much you protested – you had the option to come with me, and you chose to stay behind."

"Protested? More like you wouldn't tell me what was going on. Go figure, nothing has changed. If you had told me then what I figured out after a few years of investigation, perhaps I would have gone with you. I know why you left, I just don't know why you wouldn't talk about it."

"You were what, seventeen at the time? A child living in the worst of scenarios, barely able to keep himself alive. What I had to tell you would have only burdened you. And I had to make a decision quickly. To be honest, I knew you wouldn't have come with me, even if I offered. You were too scared to leave the only thing you knew. You may not have realized it at the time, but it was better that we went our separate ways. What I had to do would have only made you bitter. The less you knew, the better."

"Stop treating me like I'm a kid. Stop pretending like you knew a god damn thing about me. Would it kill you to give me a straight, honest answer?"

"As if it were venom. A poison that would have killed me inside if the wrong people knew. Even now."

"What the hell are you even talking about!?"

"Of course, you have a right to know. But . . . I had my suspicions for a while now. I thought there was a traitor among us – seems as though they keep multiplying – and that's why I specifically picked you three."

"What?" Niles turned around to her lackeys.

"Of course, I was hoping that wouldn't be the case. Seems I was right on all three accounts."

"Two against three, Éponine. Surrender or this will get ugly," The one in the middle said.

"Funny . . . I was thinking the same exact thing. And we both know these contracts end in death, no matter how you view it. Surrender now to be executed later? I don't think so."

"Some friends you have," Niles scoffed.

"I figured they'd reveal their true colors once the two of us were alone . . . seems I was right," Éponine sighed, "I was just hoping I wrong on at least one of them. Too bad. Seems like more senseless death to me."

"Kill the two of you and kidnap Corrin," The leader of the lackeys said, "Those were our instructions."

"You lay a hand on him – "

"Easy. Don't get angry. Let's take these morons out and get back on track," Éponine instructed.

"Tch. With pleasure."

While Corrin and Silas searched the Estate for further evidence, proving the owner's guilt, Corrin couldn't help but think back to his conversation with Niles about Éponine. He only spoke of her once, as most of his past usually made Corrin squirm, but it almost seemed like he admired her.

After Corrin and Niles became a couple, the ex-outlaw tried to think of stories he could share with Corrin that were a little more his speed, though there weren't very many. Some of the things Niles told him were out of necessity – to learn as much about this world to fix the problem in Nohr. Corrin really had to start growing thicker skin to stomach the things he learned of.

The conversation he had with Niles about Éponine happened after the war was over and Corrin was researching Nohrian economics and corruption of Nobles.

"Hey Corrin . . . Do you have a moment?" Niles asked upon entering the room. Corrin smiled at his partner.

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Well . . ." He sat down next to Corrin and placed a hand on his thigh, "I think I finally know a story I can share with you – minimal violence, nothing too bloody . . . It's something I haven't shared with anyone, really, but you are ever the exception."

"I will gladly listen, but if it's too painful . . ." Corrin gently caressed Niles' hand. It was funny how the two of them worked – Corrin needed the emotional bond, whereas Niles craved physical intimacy. They blended their needs well, surprisingly enough.

"I will be fine. Like I said, minimal violence. Shocking, I know?"

"Heh. Okay. What's this one about, then?"

"Well, as you recall, I was adopted into a small den of thieves when I was barely able to walk, talk, stand, or understand the world around me. I was fed and that was about where that compassion ended. Then I was expected to find ways to feed myself. So I was trained to pick-pocket, open locked doors, steal . . . We would either partner up – 2 or 3 maximum – or go about it solo. Well, when I was probably about 10 or 11, I met the leader's daughter. She was about 5 years older, but she was beautiful. It's actually hard to imagine where she got her good looks from – her father was a hideous piece of work. Anyway, her father taught her everything he taught the rest of us. She was very skilled. Her name was Éponine."

"I see. So this is about her, I assume?"

"Yes. Lord Leo once asked me if I ever had any fond memories before working under him. I told him no . . . but that wasn't strictly true. Despite being around the family since a young age, I never met or knew of her. She lived with a local brothel – a whore house. She came around looking for work – not prostitution, her father wouldn't allow that. That's the first time I remember meeting her. Hah, as a young boy, her looks had virtually no effect on me. I actually thought she was annoying and didn't want anything to do with her. Eventually I did start talking to her and I learned some valuable pointers while training under her. She was rough, despite looking delicate and weak. If I made even the slightest mistake, she would pin me down and go through a "worst case scenario" list. If I made a certain mistake, I could have lost my hand. Or I would bleed to death. Or I would have been caught and thrown into a prison cell to starve to death. She certainly knew how to make you think."

". . . And this is a pleasant memory?"

"Haha, it was constructive criticism. I don't think I would have survived, if not for her "tough love". I went on a few outings with her. Out of everyone I met, she had the most attuned moral compass, even if it was still broken. She spent a lot of her time raising the poor bastard children of the whores, so I guess that nurtured her maternal instincts. Lost infants, abandoned puppies . . . you name it, if it was cute, she would take care of it. She kept busy, that's for damn sure."

"Did she think you were a cute, lost little puppy?" Corrin snickered.

"Haha, laugh it up," Niles reached for Corrin's sides and started tickling him. The younger of the two fought back – when Niles discovered his vulnerable spots, he made use of them.

"Stop it!" Corrin laughed, then leaned forward and embraced Niles.

"Why is it that when you want me to stop, you come closer? That doesn't seem like a smart tactic to me."

"Hehe, it worked, didn't it?" Corrin looked up at Niles with a wide grin.

"I see. You're playing me. And it's working . . ." Niles kissed his forehead and held Corrin for a moment.

"So I'm guessing you were close to her?" Corrin asked, finally starting to settle back down. Niles let Corrin go and nodded.

"I eventually got there. If nothing else, it gave me someone to talk to. Her father didn't like her getting close to any of us. I'm sure if he could find and afford a chastity belt, he would put her in it in a heartbeat and throw away the key. Not that it really would have mattered, since anyone worth their salt knew their way around a locked door."

"How do you go to the bathroom with one of those things on?"

"Corrin, always asking the important questions. Completely oblivious to other allusions I was making."

"Oh, no, I caught them. I just ignored them. Continue."

"My wit is wasted on you."

"Sorry," Corrin shrugged unapologetically.

"Your mouth says one thing, your body language says another . . ." Corrin giggled some more before Niles just sighed and continued.

"Her father didn't like all the time she put into the whore's children, so I'm guessing he didn't want her getting pregnant. She would most definitely keep her baby and he would have to spend more resources on another "deadweight" as he so affectionately put it."

Corrin's once happy expression dropped at that last part.

"Is this still too much for you? I can talk about something else, instead. Or we can do something else. How quickly can I get you out of those clothes?"

"Niles, focus. We can have sex later. I'm fine with this conversation, I just still have a hard time wrapping my mind around that attitude towards children."

"Yeah, it's a terrible mindset to swallow. Speaking of swallowing – "

"Niles. Focus."

"Y'know, when you say 'have sex' like you did a moment ago, it makes it sound like a chore," Corrin gave Niles a look to which he responded with a laugh.

"Okay, okay. . . . It's disturbing to think that a young, new life meant very little to these people. If you can't feed yourself, adding another to that mix who cannot pitch in was, in all honesty, deadweight . . . many orphans starved to death or were killed for stealing or worse – left to rot in a jail cell with open, festering wounds – "

"Niles! . . . Ugh, sorry . . ."

"I'm thinking that's enough. You look ill."

"I'm . . . I'm okay. I'm sorry, I just can't imagine . . ."

"You know . . . I think the problem is you CAN imagine, and you DO picture every detail until the pain is as real for you as it was for me or for them. You're a very caring soul, but you put too much emphasis on other people's pain. You need to desensitize yourself to it if you want to clean up the slums. I believe you can do it if you really want to, but you'll need thicker skin for what you'll witness."

Niles lightly touched Corrin's chin and smiled. Such a beautiful person, inside and out.

". . . All right . . . I'm ready. Please, continue."

"I love you," Niles said earnestly, still admiring the man before him. Corrin smiled, "I love you, too."

". . . Well . . . anyway, I spent a few years with her off and on. We would go on jobs together and eventually became something like friends. Against her father's warnings, though, we started spending several nights together. I actually don't remember how that started, but she and I grew very close."

"So what happened to her?"

"You're amusing. I'm talking about a past romantic encounter, and yet, not a touch of jealousy from you. I don't know whether to be happy or worried."

"Should I be jealous, though? It's in the past, so it wouldn't change anything even if I did feel upset about it. Like you said before, I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to marry you."

"Oh Corrin," He shook his head, "Anyway, what happened? One night she just left."

"Left?"

"Packed her bags, gave no explanation, and was gone by morning. I was more upset than I thought I'd be. Especially because . . ." He trailed off.

"Because . . .?"

"Hmm. Maybe I'm not as ready as I thought I was. Her leaving was upsetting and it took a few years after that to fully understand her reasons. I knew something happened between her and her father, and that she was furious and hurt, but no one knew much or said anything about it. A handful of years later, I found out that he was . . . No, this part will definitely be too much for you. I should have known better. I can't get through a story without explaining all the background details."

"No, finish your story."

"I don't think that's a good idea. You probably don't have the stomach for it . . ."

"I need to grow a thicker skin, right?

"Not that thick, and not that quick. Just know that something really bad happened and she left because of it. She loathed him for it."

" . . . What did he do?" Corrin pushed.

"Corrin. You really don't want to know. Trust me."

"I need to know," Niles shook his head and refused to speak on it any further.

"Niles. What has happened in the past and what is continuously happening right now . . . I need to know about it so I can stop it . . . so please, tell me."

". . . Ah, you're so cute and innocent. I want to protect you from the sins of that part of the world, not so pretty or innocent. This is against my better judgement, but . . . hold my hand and squeeze it tight if you need to. And remember, I tried to warn you."

"O-Okay."

"He hit a rut in finances. In fear of losing money and food supply, he networked with a separate gang. He made a few deals with a different part of that web. He also had pull in the whorehouse because of his daughter and his weekly contribution there. A few deals later, he started selling the older children into forced slavery. That included labor, gang fighting . . . and often times sex. It was child trafficking, basically. The younger of the children he killed off. Any infant – new or a few months old – he killed. If there was a pregnant woman, he would throw her out and it basically ended in her death as well. He made a huge profit over the children that Éponine helped raise. I doubt many of them survived to adulthood. At the time when she left, I was hurt. Now I understand, though I really wish she would have talked to me. But words meant nothing. There was nothing I could have done."

After his words finally sunk in, Corrin felt ready to vomit. How there were people like that, who make their living off other's suffering . . . it made him sick to no end.

Even now, as he recalled Niles' story, he felt emotionally disturbed. And this was the same woman involved in that story? It seemed like he carefully avoided specific details about Éponine, which was a bit curious. They did have something they needed to work out, though, before going on a job together again.

Silas and Corrin were able to find some more documents, proving Éponine true. They decided to double back to Éponine and Niles.

Niles and Éponine took out the three assassins pretty easily – there was a slight disadvantage, but nothing either of them had to worry about.

"So, you manipulated your suspected traitors into coming here, thinking they were luring you into a trap, when really this was a setup for them?" Niles shook his head, "Damn. See? This is why I can't trust you . . . How do I know you aren't leading me into a similar trap?"

"Are you going to stick a knife in my back? If not, then no, you and I have a common goal right now. 2, in fact. The first one being assassinate the assassins before they assassinate us. The second one being cleaning up the corruption of Nohr. I am being targeted for the same reasons you are."

Éponine knelt over the unconscious bodies of her traitors, then searched their bodies for something.

"Stealing? Now, of all times?" Niles scoffed.

"I'm looking for their contracts. Normally, those who hand out contracts use a specific code to designate who they are. If I can find their seal or any identifiable features, then I can find out who is tracking me. Or would you still prefer sitting on your thumbs?"

"Why would they put something like that on their contracts?"

"A message to other assassins, would one fall in duty. If they find and complete the assignment in their stead, they can find the contract holder and cash in on it. To a normal person's eye, the seals and codes are not noticeable. However, I am not normal and this is not my first go around."

"Yeah, you definitely aren't normal . . .So why now, of all times? Surely you could find me if you really wanted to."

"That is true. I could have made contact with you at any time. I kept tabs on you, after all . . ."

"So you were stalking me? If you went to that much trouble, the least you could have done was stop by and say hello. I don't care if you gave me an explanation or not – I already know what your father did – but why wouldn't you – no. never mind. You want to keep your mysterious reasons, fine, have them. Don't expect me to forgive you, though."

"Don't you think you're being a little over dramatic, Zero?"

"You don't get to call me that. Ever again. It was annoying back then and it will get you killed now."

"Haha, sorry. It slipped out. If you calm down, I can explain myself to you. But not here . . . I can't tell if we still have eyes on us or not – and the secret I have kept with me will stay with me if it means keeping my heart safe. You do have the right to know, though."

"What are you talking about?"

"Not here. It isn't safe to talk about it here. I've kept her from this life, and I want to keep her away from this. So please, be a little bit more patient. Once you know of her, you will agree with me."

"Her?"

"The heart of my life."

(A woman?) Niles thought to himself.

Silas and Corrin came around the corner.

"What happened?" Corrin asked, quickening his pace.

"Apparently, traitors," Niles answered.

"Traitors?" Silas asked, "What do you mean?"

"It means I suspected traitors were in my party, told all three of them to accompany me today, and the moment they saw that their objectives were in sight, they cornered Niles and me. Luckily, though, I am not as stupid as some continuously think that I am. I knew of their play, I led them straight to it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Silas asked, "You could have gotten us killed!"

"Or I could have gotten the information I desire," She said, pulling out the contract, "I recognize this seal. I know where the drop off points are. Which means I can come up with a viable strategy to keeping us all safe and on the offensive at the same time. All we need now is a plan."

"What kind of plan?" Corrin asked.

"There are three drop-offs – without knowing the schedules, there are two decoys. Traps. One is a genuine drop-off point, the other two are armed with a trigger trap, which will be loaded with poisons and a man on station. You can expect to be interrogated by horrifying means, so we need to figure out which are the decoys, and which is the real one."

"So how do we avoid getting the crap trap?" Niles asked.

"I will have a few of my men look into it. There might be some intel on this that I haven't looked at yet."

"So more traitors? I don't think so."

"These were newer recruits, and I notice an information breech. I pinned down the suspects and lured them into a false sense of security – to which they took advantage of, which I predicted, and pretty much took care of themselves. They must have thought it was a heyday that all three of them got picked – when really, they should have thought the odds of that were a little stacked."

"You are manipulative."

"I pay attention to the people in my charge, that's all. It's not my fault that people are predictable to a fault," she shook her head, "My intuition has never led me astray before, why should it now? The ones in my charge – the ones that have been with me for years – I trust completely."

"You are the one who said to not trust anyone, because the only person one cares about is oneself. Everything else is either an obstacle or a boon, depending on how you play your cards."

"In the setting we grew up, that is true. Once you knock desperation out of men, the 'look out for only yourself' mentality weakens, and trust opens up. Which is what allowed you to give your life to two Nohrian princes, is it not?"

Niles did not answer.

"Besides . . . I was speaking mostly in broadened terms. It's not like I ever took my own words to heart – I was weary of most people and especially those who are capable of the unthinkable. But if you give people a reason and chance to, they will discard the life of an outlaw for the life of something honest. I don't think the majority choose this life."

"Then why are you still doing it?"

"To put an end to human trafficking. That is my goal. I have ruined many trades and crossed many powerful perpetrators. I am wanted dead by many, but so few have come close. If you stay with me until this blows over, I can tell how to find the one who wants your party dead and I can keep you alive in the meantime. The friends in my group are much like me – they had family taken from them – children, sisters, brothers, wives . . . You name it. We are after the common threat – the ones who lurk in the darkest, deepest shadows. We are in a war – a war that many people know nothing about, until it strikes their family and their loved ones are snatched in the darkness, never to be seen again."

"I thought that might be your answer," Niles sighed, "Even so . . ."

"I thought my life would have only burdened yours. If you came with me, you might have come to resent everything I stood for . . . as well as the life and role you would have inevitably had to fill."

"What role? What do you mean by that?" Niles asked.

"I knew you were trying to find me. If someone comes searching for me, I can feel it coming. I thought about finding you sooner, but . . . in the end I chose not to. I had my reasons, I still stand by them, too, but I will tell you everything. Just not here. You should probably apprehend your criminal and we can then go to somewhere more secluded."

"Yeah, that's true," Corrin nodded, "But what about you? Are you staying here?"

"Yes. Consider this my present to you for being cooperative."

"That sounds shady," Silas commented. Niles nodded in agreement.

"Nothing shady about it, though – " Éponine was caught off by a crashing sound behind her.

"Ooof!" A voice called from the darkness.

"What the?" Éponine said, looking behind her. Not many things caught her off guard. This was evidently not a part of her overall scheme.

"What is it now?" Niles asked, though he didn't expect her to have an answer.

"I'm not sure," She went to examine with her weapons drawn. Was there a trap that she missed? Though that blunder made it apparent that she was not dealing with a professional.

"Show yourself," Éponine said, "Or I will cut you down. I slash first, ask questions later."

From the darkness, a girl with long pink hair, separated into two separate braids, stumbled out.

"Nina!?" Éponine said, "What are you doing here?"

"Mother!?" The young girl said, equally confused and surprised. Unlike Éponine's emerald eyes, Nina had bright blue eyes. Her skin was slightly darker than her mother's, closer to Niles' pigmentation.

"I won't ask again. What are you doing here?"

"Hmpf! You didn't even notice that I ran away from home a ways back! I had to pursue my true calling – that of chivalrous thievery!"

"Excuse me?" Éponine was getting really angry now. She was masterful at hiding her emotions – but right now motherly fury was written all over her face.

"That's right. Must I explain it to you?" The girl was sassy, not unlike her mother, "I steal from the rich. I give to the poor. The creep who owns this manor is one of the richest. So here I am. You wouldn't believe how he's gotten his hoard of treasures. Not that you'd care."

"Child," She grabbed Nina by the arm, "I am 10 steps ahead of you. Chivalrous thievery, you say? What happens to you when you get caught – because clearly you are so very stealthy – and end up with a javelin in your back from Nohrian Calvary? Did you ever think about that? There is no glory or justice in this, only vengeance and survival."

"You're wrong! It's justified. Not that I have to justify myself to you. Now let me go . . . Mother."

"No. You see these people behind me? They came here to round up a bunch of filthy thieves, hun. With a blunder like that, I'm surprised you didn't alert the entire neighborhood and have this place surrounded by more men like them."

"Fine words from one of the filthiest of them. I know what you do and you feel self-righteous enough to lecture me!"

"Keep it up, girl, and you will see how nasty I can get. Now, come with me, child, so we can have a long discussion on how and why I am beating you into next Tuesday."

"Back off! I'm not going anywhere with you! I'm on the side of right. Out of my way!" With her free hand, she struck at Éponine. In shock, she let go of Nina's arm and blocked the punch.

"You dare strike at me? You keep adding to your list of punishments. Apologize at once, and maybe I'll consider letting you off easy."

"You can't make me! And you can't CATCH me, either!" She ran off before Éponine could get a hold on her again. She ran after her daughter, leaving the other three in awe of what just happened.

"She has a daughter?" Niles asked.

"We should probably go after them," Corrin sighed, "Looks like things keep getting more complicated."

"Right. We better make sure that girl doesn't have friends." They followed Éponine and the two were still arguing.

"Nina, stop it. You've deluded yourself to think that this is a justified path."

"I've dreamed about this. Draining the coffers of the wealthy! Vindicating the poor! We're getting what we need, and then getting out. I leave you to your disgrace. What DO you do these days anyway!? Pfft! Don't answer. I don't care. Good bye, Mother."

Nina ran off again, meeting up with a decently large group who began looting the Estate.

"Damn child. If she does this, the entire operation is ruined. We could get the backlash of letting looters in and turn this into that man's favor. Idiot girl. Once I get my hands on her, a righteous beating will hopefully knock some sense back into her."

"I thought the people in your charge trusted you," Niles snickered, "I can tell she's just oozing with trust."

"Shut up. I don't care about the other twerps; you can deal with them as you see fit. I'm going to kindly correct my daughter on her chosen path."

"I think maybe you are the last person she wants to deal with?" Niles laughed.

"I wouldn't think this is so funny, were I you. The enemy doesn't know I have a daughter, but I bet they do now. Her life is in danger. If they don't kill her, I might."

"That's true. We should probably get to her first," Corrin said.

"I have an idea. Lord Corrin and Niles, you can go after her. Just tell her that you two are married and she will stop what she's doing and give you her full, undivided attention." Éponine shook her head, " I will try to clean up the left side of the Estate. You in the armor can take the right. Let's try to recover as much of the stolen goods as possible."

"Why would telling her that help us?" Corrin asked.

"You know how sometimes men will fantasize about two women together?"

"No," Silas and Corrin said at the same time.

"Yes," Niles answered truthfully, getting strange looks from his husband, "What? It's true."

"Well, she does the same thing with men. She'd stop dead in her tracks to ask you all sorts of invasive question, to sate her curiosity. It'll be a good distraction."

"Huh. That's . . . odd," Niles shrugged, "Whatever. Come on, love. Let's go."

"This is really weird," Corrin said, becoming embarrassed by the request, "I don't feel comfortable with this."

"Well, if you don't, then I will have to throw some poison at her. Your choice. I can go either way," Éponine said, "But we better decide quickly."

"F-Fine, I'll do it. Let's go, Niles . . ."

They split up into groups – Éponine took the left side and Silas took the right, while Niles and Corrin came up the middle to catch Nina.

She unlocked the door and headed for a vault – a couple of her men got in the way, but Corrin and Niles easily took care of them. Éponine ran into a locked door and opened it with ease, though Silas could not open his. He searched for a key or a way in, but could not find one.

Corrin and Niles blocked the entrance to the vault, closing her in.

"You creeps! You better move!" She shouted.

"Such a lovely young lady," Niles chided, "Much like her mother, with that sharp tongue."

"Ew – don't call me lovely, you perv!" Corrin was visibly uncomfortable with the situation, so Niles had to improvise. He was getting kind of agitated by Nina, though. What a lippy whelp.

"Sorry, but I think you have us all wrong. He's not into women, so he can't really perv on you, isn't that right, Corrin?" Niles smiled. Corrin looked at him furiously, but answered, "N-No. I'm not interested in women."

"Wh-what?" Nina said, "But if you aren't interested in women . . . that means you're interested in men!?"

"Y-yeah. Something like that."

"What?" Nina blushed a little bit. The corner of her mouth twitched with sudden delight, "Then . . . Then are you two a couple!?"

"Yup, we're married," Niles was enjoying this.

"Woah! Tell me everything! I want all the details! Teeheehee~~!"

"I will let Corrin here tell you everything you need to know. I gotta go help Silas. Looks like he's stuck behind closed doors," Niles scampered off.

"W-Wait! Ah, dammit! I'm going to kill him later."

"So, how did the two of you meet? Did your eyes meet and sparks fly? Was it romantic?"

"Romantic? Hardly . . ." Corrin shook his head, "I – I mean . . . He was a persistent flirt, so it was pretty obvious what his intentions were . . ."

"I knew it! He did look like a pervert."

"He really is. I-I mean . . . it's fine, I'm used to it . . ."

"You don't think he's cheating on you? Oh, the nerve! Do you want me to beat him up for you?"

"Huh? No, that won't be necessary! He just has a very . . . imaginative mind, when it comes to certain things."

"What do you mean by 'imaginative'? Do you have a kinky sex life?"

"U-um . . ." Corrin was definitely past "uncomfortable", now border lining feeling invaded.

"Do you have attraction to more men than just him, or is this situational?" Corrin cringed. She kept asking him question after question, not really waiting for an answer. She was filling in the blanks on her own; if it was true or not, she wouldn't know.

"Do you wanna be friends!? Oh, we can go ogle cute guys together, hehehe. What do ya say?" Corrin sighed heavily.

"Sure. We can be friends . . . can we just, maybe, change the subject?"

"Hm? To what?"

"Anything but my sex life, please . . ."

"But!" Nina frowned, "I want to know aaalll about it! Spill it all! I want no secrets!"

"Is that the first thing you ask people? Seems kind of rude to me," Corrin said earnestly.

"But . . . don't you get questions about it all the time?"

"Not really . . . Well, at first, kinda."

"See? It's so clandestine and mysterious, most people wanna know more about it! Like me. Have you always like men?"

"I-I'm not sure," He shrugged, "I didn't put too much thought into it, honestly."

"He didn't force you into it, did he? Some guys can be so pushy. He looks pushy, are you sure you want to be in this relationship?"

"(And the questions keep getting more invasive and rude . . .) N-No. I've never questioned this relationship . . . Wait, I thought the relationship thing got you all excited?"

"Sure, but I don't want you to be hurt. We can find you a different, hotter guy next time! Teehee!" Corrin didn't respond. On the one hand, it was nice that she had some sense of right and wrong, on the other hand, she just keeps saying some rude things.

Corrin took a moment to assess the situation – it looked like Niles, Silas, and Éponine had it handled. All he needed to do was keep the girl distracted until her mother came back. Except Corrin really didn't feel like revealing every detail about his relationship with Niles or their bedroom life.

"So what kind of men do you prefer? He seems roguish, so do you like the stern, thug look? You've got the cute, adorable thing going for you, so I imagine you fit a lot of other men's ideal type."

"What are you – Okay, look, I am not leaving my current relationship and I am not looking for another one. Okay?" Corrin was getting frustrated now.

"Okay, well, if you insist. By the way, what was your name again? I'm Nina."

"Corrin. It's a pleasure to meet you, Nina."

"And what was your husband's name?" She asked.

"Niles."

"Niles?" Her smile faded away – and one of horror replaced it, "That can't be. No, it's just a coincidence . . ."

"What is?" Corrin asked.

"How does he know my mom?" She asked abruptly.

"Huh?"

"How do you guys know my mom?"

"I don't – we just met. Niles knew her back in their youth, when they were with the same gang, I guess. Why?"

"No . . . No, no, no, no, no! That . . . that can't be . . ."

"Is – Is something wrong?"

". . . I never met my father. My mother told me stories of him and she . . . and told me his name. Other than that, I knew nothing else of him. Could . . . could it be. . ."

"Niles? Your – your father?" Corrin stated, following her line of logic.

"Him? Of all people? You have got to be kidding me. Well, at least I get a hot step-father out of the deal."

"W-wait! Don't jump to conclusions . . ." Corrin shook his head, "Are you absolutely certain that he and your father are the same person?"

"No. I have no way of telling for sure . . . not until I speak to . . . my mother."

"Yeah, about that. Your mother came here with the intention of letting us know that the Estate Owner swindled families out of their life's work. If you had just spoken with her – "

"She already knew . . .? Oh . . ."

"Yes. We came here to protect the estate from burglary. Your mother came in and told us everything, as well as some other things pertaining to Niles. Why are you here, though? Did your mother know that you took up her life style?" Corrin asked, looking for a sincere answer.

"No. she's never home and . . . and I get lonely . . ." She shook her head, "She always leaves me in the dark! So I took matters into my own hands and I found out what she does and talked to the other children of her friends. We all feel the same way."

"I understand your feelings. Being lonely is really awful. But this is dangerous. Your mother owes you an explanation, but you need to talk things out with her."

"She'll just treat me like a child. She always does. Why am I not worth her time?" She crossed her arms, "I hate it! I . . . This . . . I chose this life and she can't tell me what to do with it."

"Just the same, you might want to hear her out . . ." Corrin sighed, "I doubt she's told you much, so you have no idea what kind of monsters she's facing, but you probably should stay far, far away from it."

"What are you saying? What exactly is my mother doing?" Nina demanded.

"W-Well . . ."

"Hey, we're finished," Niles said, "Silas and I cleared the right side. Éponine should be on her way back soon. So, how are you two getting along?" Niles chuckled.

"I think I just learned some life altering news," Corrin lead on, "But I'm not telling you until Éponine gets here to confirm it."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Niles frowned.

"Haha . . . Oh, just you wait," Corrin shook his head, "Well, Nina, are you holding up okay?"

"I-I think so. I guess I'll have to speak with her . . . and . . ." She looked at Niles carefully. Were they related? Was this her father, whom she knew hardly anything about?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Niles asked.

". . .How do you know my mother?" She asked hesitantly.

"What? Éponine? I knew her from a very young age. Haven't seen her in about 15 or 16 years, but that's life, I guess. Why?"

"Gods . . . I'm almost 16," She grimaced a little bit.

"Huh?" Niles started feeling unnerved.

"Did you . . . I mean . . . did you ever . . ." She didn't want to ask him that question. She would rather pretend they weren't related and ask about how he wooed Corrin. But those kind of questions seemed gross now.

"Did I ever . . . What? Spit it out, already."

"Easy, Niles," Corrin said.

"What the hell are you trying to ask me?"

Éponine and Silas came around together, speaking about how they were going to put the estate owner in prison then move onto the other problem at hand.

"Nina," She said harshly, though Nina had other things on her mind.

"Mother . . . Is this . . . is this the Niles you told me about?" Nina asked. Éponine's face went from anger to shock, then returned to normal.

". . . I see. Well, I guess I will be explaining myself earlier than I anticipated," she sighed heavily, "Yes. He is exactly who you think he is."

"What the hell is going on?" Niles asked, started to get really agitated.

"The reason I left in such a hurry, without so much as an explanation of why . . . is because I was pregnant. I feared for the baby's safety, I feared what my father would do should he ever learn of her existence. And I felt the less who knew, the better. I intentionally kept all of this from you. Both of you, I guess," She said to both Niles and Nina.

"What are you saying, mother?"

"My father . . . killed many orphaned children and sold the older ones into slavery. Had he learned of your existence, you would have probably been killed, Nina. And you as well, Niles."

"Why me?" He asked, though he was starting to put the pieces together. He was still in denial, though, so he thought a confirmation would be beneficial at this point.

"I was seeing you regularly, Niles. Don't act stupid. I was pregnant with your child, and deliberately chose not to tell you. If no one knew who the father was – even the father himself – then that would eliminate much knowledge that I chose to shred. I covered my tracks and found a family that I could safely raise our child with. I knew you were trying to find me – I wanted to reach out to you. But exposing myself like that might have led my father's men back to me – and to Nina. Her existence, above all else, I wanted to remain a secret. Though now that secret is out of the bag because of your idiotic actions, Nina. Still . . . Now I get to share with you both the whole truth."

"W-Wait a minute . . ." Niles shook his head, "No, that can't be . . ."

"Nina is your daughter," Éponine repeated, then let it sink it. Niles and Nina both looked at each other.

"I . . . um, I will see to the estate owner's arrest . . ." Silas said. Corrin nodded.

"I'll go with you . . ." He gave Niles a quick kiss on the cheek and squeezed his arm reassuringly. Niles barely reacted and Corrin left with Silas.

Niles looked at the two women carefully, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. He didn't even know where to begin. Nina was silent, too, unable to bring herself to speak with her father. She knew little of him – what she did know and what she saw wasn't favorable. From the look on his face, she could tell that he wanted nothing to do with her. Why would he? After all, Nina's mother couldn't even trust him with knowing of her pregnancy. Mother didn't want Niles to know of Nina's birth and life . . . That was enough to convince Nina.

But now she was thinking of her mother – this new piece of information. Was her grandfather dangerous? Sounded like it . . . Everything her mother did was to keep her safe?

She was confused. Niles was in a state of denial. Éponine waited for the tension to settle before she delved into her story.

"Shall I begin?" She finally asked.

"Yeah," Niles nodded, "Tell me everything."


	2. Chapter 2 The Slums of Nohr

Chapter 2

The Slums of Nohr

~~~Many, Many years ago~~~

An old woman and a young girl walked hand-in-hand in the dimly lit streets of the slums. Dusk fell quickly, and a cold night took its place. The pair stayed close – the old lady protecting her young child from possible threats.

The old woman was dressed in black robes – she looked like a nun.

The girl appeared to be six or seven – not much older than that, wearing a pink dress. She hummed quietly, though her companion hushed her.

"Don't draw unwanted attention, my dear . . . We aren't safe here," She reminded softly. There was an aura of calm around the old woman, but she also feared for their safety.

As they walked, they were nearing an alleyway. The woman pushed the girl toward the open side – a hill ran down toward a small river. No one could be hiding in that scene, but many monsters lurk in the alleys at night, hunting for unwitting pray.

As they passed the alley, they heard a woman screech – a long and terrifying wail that echoed and bounced in the narrow alley.

The old woman bit her lip. Her young child was her top priority – but it was against her policy to let the suffering of people go unattended, especially women. For all she knew, it could be a young companion in her care that is being misused by a man – a human turned monster by their inescapable fate.

"Grandmother," She tugged on the hand of the old woman lightly, "What . . . what should we do?" The young girl was spooked, but equally empathetic.

"Stay close, Éponine," Her grandmother said, pulling out a knife, "This could get ugly. Here, take this to defend yourself," She handed the knife to her, as well as a vial, "That is a poison. Throw it into the eyes of anyone who gets too close to you."

"Y-Yes . . ." Éponine nodded, then followed her grandmother into the alley. The woman screamed again, followed by, "GODS, WHY?" She sounded like she was going through terrible suffering. The old woman paused, then called out, "Darling, are you okay? Are you alone?"

"Who – Who's there?" They heard panting and slight whimpering.

"I am a friend. I mean you know harm . . . I ask again – are you alone?"

"Yes . . . Yes, I'm alone," She sobbed.

"What is wrong, child? Where are you?" The old woman did not drop her guard – this could still be a ruse – an elusive trap to foolish, sympathetic people. Yet, there was none more foolish than the old lady, who still had a bleeding heart after many years of suffering and pain.

"I'm . . . I'm right here," The voice called. The old lady finally found her – a lone woman, sitting on the ground with her back to the building. There were tears streaming down her face and . . . a round stomach, clenched by the woman's arms.

"You're going through labor pains, aren't you?" The old woman recognized this scene all too perfectly. A young, pregnant woman – abandoned by the man who impregnated her and by the family who did not want another baby – alone to fend for herself in the harsh reality of this town.

"Can you stand? If I get you to my home, I can help you . . ." She reached out to assist the woman.

"I can't . . . I can't have a baby . . . I can't . . ." The woman shook violently, "I can't . . ." She was beginning to enter into the early stages of hysteria – of fear and panic.

"Honey, calm down. Try to breathe. Inhale, exhale . . . Clear your mind. Can you tell me your name?" The hysterical woman was dark skinned with dark blue eyes and white hair.

"Ceana," She said softly.

"Ceana. My name is Evania, this is Éponine. Come now, love, let us get you to somewhere safe. If we linger here, we will most certainly run into trouble. Come with me, child."

The old woman supported Ceana and beckoned Eponine to follow her out of the alleyway and back into the open.

The woman shrieked in pain when Evania pulled her up, then wrapped her arm around her back.

"Th – Thank you . . ." Ceana said, holding back the pain to the best of her abilities.

"We have a walk ahead of us . . . If we can make it to my home, then we should be fine. If not, we will have to use the river to our advantage . . ."

"Where do you live?" Ceana asked.

"In the Red Light District," The woman answered.

"The – The Red Light . . . But then, you're a . . .?"

"I run the Brothel, yes. The women in my care are all companions."

"I . . . I see. I mistook you for a nun . . ."

"Hahaha! I have had many walks of life – I'm old enough to have done so! My main concern is to try and care for as many people as possible. I will do the same for you . . . Now, relax child . . . we have a ways to go still."

Present Day – Fancy Estate

Niles waited for an answer – a long explanation as to what actually happened in the past, though he was starting to see the bigger picture. Éponine, meanwhile, was thinking about how the two of them first met – no, that's not right . . . How she met the young child of Ceana . . . and would not see either of them for many, many years.

~~~ Red Light District: Many Years Ago ~~~

Éponine and her grandmother safely escorted Ceana to their Brothel, where they immediately took action. Evania took her to the nearest open room and laid her down, then got some of the other girls to prepare a few things. Evania shooed Éponine, who watched from the doorway.

The next few hours were chaotic – Ceana screamed a lot – her painful cries shook the entire building and disturbed some of the customers. They complained, but only received an earful from Evania.

"This is what happens when you fools don't use protection properly. Women get pregnant – that's what happens when you carelessly have sex. Don't get pissy when nature takes its course."

She had a bat in hand, however, and if anyone else complained they knew she would use it. They decided to drop it and go about their business – some left, some stayed, but it didn't matter either way.

When her screams finally died down the tension broke. There was a new sound – a new scream – that of an infant baby. Éponine wandered back in the room, waiting curiously to see the baby.

The mother breathed heavily, looking away from Evania and the child, whom her grandmother affectionately cleaned up.

"I can't . . . I can't be a mother . . ." Ceana repeated again, "I don't want to be . . ."

"If you stay here, the burden of motherhood would be lifted," Evania spoke calmly, "It is a daunting task – feeding oneself and feeding another. It can be done and we are all family here. We will take care of you and your son."

"Son . . .! Haha . . . Hahaha . . . Another . . . monster . . . Why couldn't it have been a girl? A girl I could have loved . . . a girl I could have . . . understood . . . but it's a boy . . ."

"Not all men are monsters. They are made that way, they aren't born that way. A loving hand and guidance will shape his future. If you choose to, you could find a way to love him and guide him to being a man of honor and dignity – if you throw him away . . . and he survives the ordeal . . . you will make him into your worst fears."

"Shut up . . . I don't want any of your philosophical bull shit. What nun . . . what nun runs a whore house? Why would I . . . want to stay . . . and service those . . . PIGS!" Ceana spat.

"Look at him. He's innocent," Evania held out the child, who calmed down some.

"I don't want to," She shook her head, "You can't make me . . ."

"At least try. Look at him. Give him a name. You might just find it hard to believe you once thought having a son was such a horrible fate. You might just come to enjoy your new role as mother. Give him a name. Try to bond with him."

"No," She refused, looking out the window and distancing herself from the child and from Evania. Éponine found herself getting frustrated. She stepped inside the room and was about to say something, but Evania beat her, "Éponine. You shouldn't be here right now."

"But she – "

"She is in a difficult position. One I hope you never have to face, dear," Evania, while cradling the young boy in one arm, took her free hand and held her granddaughter's chin.

Éponine looked at the small thing – new born babies weren't much to look at; they were covered in their mother's fluids and so wrinkly. They were far from cute, but after a while, they start becoming adorable.

"What's his name?" She asked loudly; deliberately. Evania sighed – Éponine wasn't going to drop this, was she? Not that she expected much different. Such a strong spirit . . .

Ceana glanced at Éponine – did she have it in her to refuse a young girl?

Éponine's eyes met with Ceana's . . . Such a fierce young girl . . .

Ceana sighed, then looked at the baby, finally acknowledging its existence outside of her womb, ". . . Niles . . ."

"You're naming him Niles?" Evania asked.

". . . Yes," Ceana looked away again, this time at the ceiling.

"I will let you rest. If you want your child, have one of the girls come by and get me. For now, I will be taking him somewhere to rest," Evania instructed, "Come on, Éponine." Eponine followed her grandmother out the room and took baby Niles to a different room.

Their presence in the whore house was short lived . . . Ceana decided to take the child and move out elsewhere, for a time . . . She refused to be a whore. She refused to service men. And yet, at the end of it all, she also refused to be a mother.

~~~Present Day – Fancy Estate~~~

"Where do I even begin?" Éponine laughed sadly, "I suppose the easiest explanation is I got careless and knocked up. It wasn't intentional, by any means, but . . . it happened. My grandmother died and my father took over her Brothel. He did those horrible things . . . and I panicked. For the first time in my life, I was truly scared beyond utter belief. It was apparent that he cared very little for my feelings . . . and even less for my well-being. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he would kill my baby had he known, so the only choice I had was to leave. I had to leave before my pregnancy slowed me down. I had to make sure there was a place for her to grow up . . . loved . . . with a family . . . safe. I couldn't have any of that with my father."

"I understand that," Niles said, "But why did you keep it all a secret from me? Did you really not trust me that much?"

"As I said . . . there was a good chance that your new role would have only left you bitter. I've seen it before, countless times. I . . . couldn't take that chance with you."

"So you left me in the dark, instead?" Niles frowned.

"And if you came with me?" Éponine asked, "You wouldn't have felt even more manipulated into raising a child that you probably didn't want – you probably would have felt restrained and would have hated us both more than you do now."

"I never hated you! I'm pissed off, but . . ."

"Think back to who you were. You were a young teenager, not much older than Nina is now. Are you telling me that you could have willingly come with me, knowing you would be raising a child, and a life of uncertainty awaited us all? Are you telling me that you wouldn't have felt that all of your dreams would have died the moment you realized that your path was narrowed to one? Raise a child and follow my ambitions, not yours? I chose a nurturing role – I always wanted to be a mother. I had my own ambitions to follow . . . are you saying that if I told you the truth and had you come with me, that you wouldn't be angry?"

"I had a right to know all of this," Niles said, dodging the question. A nagging voice in his head told him she was right, as much as he wanted to deny it. If he had to raise a child NOW, that would be different . . . it would be welcomed . . . but back then . . .

"Perhaps you did. And I wanted to. I wanted you to be all right with this new scenario. But I had other things looming down my back and I had to make very quick decisions. The moment I realized that I was pregnant . . . was the moment I had to abandon that old life to preserve hers. Nina . . . was the only thing that mattered."

Niles closed his eye. He started to agree with her, though he wanted to protest. He wanted to be angry with her, but he began to realize her choices were well founded . . . He was probably dead weight, once again . . .

"There was another angle to consider. While your feelings did matter and there was a chance you would have accepted the situation more willingly than I anticipated, there was another reason – THE reason I chose to not include you in and inform you . . . was my father. When I left, I figured he would come after me. Had you chosen to stay behind and knew of my whereabouts and my situation, he might have been able to gain information that way."

"As if I would have told him anything," Niles interrupted, "Why would you think that I would sell you out like that!?"

"You wouldn't have needed to. The way I left you seemed like a betrayal. Perhaps it was. That energy was with you this entire time – your emotions gave you away. Had you known my reasons, that would have only made you a suspect. They would have followed you, questioned you . . . they probably would have thrown you out on gut instinct alone."

"So you're saying . . .?"

"Your anger toward me made took their gaze off of you and onto attempting finding my trail through other means. If you weren't angry because you knew what I was doing, that would have cast their gaze onto you. If I kept an open flow of communication with you, it would have found its way back to my father somehow. And you would have either been thrown out or killed. Killed being the more likely of the two . . . since you would have had to lie to my father to keep my whereabouts safe."

Niles took in everything Éponine said . . .

"There was nothing to gain from you, as you knew nothing . . . It was not the only path I could have gone down, but . . . it was the safest," Éponine sighed, "My only goal was to keep the both of you alive – your feelings were not spared in the process, and for that I am really sorry, but you are still alive. And you've led a life you can be happy with . . ."

They fell silent once more. Nina carefully listened to her parents' discussion and began formulating her opinions. Her mother was more occupied explaining things than punishing her – Nina figured if she could just sit quietly enough, they would be too distracted to remember that she was in trouble.

Éponine was thought in the past, thinking of their shared lives – their shared hells. Niles found himself doing the same thing. A lot of his past was shrouded in mystery – Though, admittedly, he could figure out who his mother is. Beruka found her mother's gravesite, as well as Niles' mother. He could never bring himself to visit . . . But there was more to the story than he knew.

~~~ Slums of Nohr – 2 Years After Niles was Born~~~

Ceana waited underneath a building for a certain someone to come by and greet her. She was covered in a hooded robe to protect herself from a heavy, pouring rain. She looked down at her feet – a young boy sat on the ground, less than covered, looking at the building.

The brick was crumbling from age and the relentless downfall did nothing to help its cause.

Ceana tapped her foot anxiously – she wanted nothing more than to hurry this visit up and be on her way. She looked out to the streets, waiting for a man to come her way.

The boy was getting hit by the rain that splashed on the ground – he protested but his mother only hushed him.

"It'll be just a few more minutes," She said with a hiss, "Shut up until then."

The child said nothing after that, only sat in the flooded ground. Ceana grumbled as her feet got wet, not caring what happened to her child. The boy could barely walk or talk at that point. He could vocalize a little bit, but not enough to hold a conversation with him.

(If the rain picked up and washed him away, then there would be absolutely nothing I could do about it.) She thought to herself, almost wishing it would, just for that sake.

She kept watching for that man she was supposed to meet. What a god awful day for this to happen. She could still be sitting at home by a warm fire . . . but this could not wait . . .

Maybe the rain was keeping him. She sighed heavily.

"I'm going to catch hypothermia at this rate," She grumbled, "Damn it, hurry up."

She finally saw who she was waiting for – through the rain, it was hard to see, but a silhouette of a man limping with a cane came towards her.

He was clearly disfigured from the way he walked and the outline of his body. Once he was close enough, he bowed. His face was covered in warts and his back was humped, slumping him over and making him appear shorter than he actually should have been.

"Greetings, ma'am. I'm guessing he's the tyke, eh?" He pointed at the young boy at her feet, "Cover him up! Don't want him getting cold."

"You got a spare blanket? His is soaked," She said cooly.

"Aye, back in my house," He climbed the stairs of the building they were standing under, "Woulda been here sooner, damn rain slowed me down. Hurry, hurry! Don't want the lad to fall sick." Ceana rolled her eyes, then picked up her child. She held him away from her body, his front facing the man.

Once inside, the man hobbled toward the room to the left. The house was dark, as there were no candles lit. The room to the right was a junk room – junk upon junk piled on top of itself.

She followed behind closely, really wanting this meeting to end so she can go back home and relax. He sat down at the table and pointed, "There's some towels behind ya. Wipe the boy dry, and we can get to discussing."

She did as he requested, sat the child down, and grabbed a towel to dry him off. She wrapped him in it once she finished. While she did that, he lit a candle on a side table. Ceana then took a seat.

"What's his name?" He asked. She huffed, then dug into a bag beneath her robes. She slid a folder toward him.

"All you need to know is in there," She said plainly.

He opened the folder – it was birth documents that she filed and copied, as well as some medical notes and the like.

"My name is nowhere in those. I had them all removed . . . no trace of it should remain."

"Hmm . . . Hmm, Hmm, Hmm! Gotcha, darling. Well, then, let's take a look here," He got up and took a closer look at the boy.

"Such a wondrous form . . . such . . . a good buy . . . Very well, I will hand this to you," He turned around and searched for something in his drawers, throwing miscellaneous garbage each different way. She looked around – his house was filthy. Here he was, one of the richer men she dealt with . . . Who knew what kind of "work" he did to earn a home and a deed. Many freaks lived in this neighborhood, though, so Ceana wasn't so surprised.

"Aha ha ha! Here we are!" He grabbed a bag of coin and sat it on the table. The bag opened slightly, and gold pieces slipped from the bag.

The boy watched the bag, then the man, but had no visual of his mother . . .

"Just sign this here, and we can go about our business," He slapped a piece of paper on the table and slid it toward the woman.

As she signed, the young boy saw a field mouse scurry across the floor, then climbed on top of a fallen brick. The rain was still falling.

The young boy licked his lips – the rain kept falling and splashing in his face, making is face really chapped. From the cracks in his lips, small drops of blood fell into his mouth. The metallic taste was unfamiliar to the child – but it would be a taste that stuck with him for many, many years in the future.

"Are we finished here, Mr. Elbegast?"

The disfigured man read the document she signed carefully. He laughed, "Do you know how to read, dear?"

"What do you mean? Of course I do."

"Don'tcha know never sign a binding contract without first reading the print? In you rush to surrender the rights to your child, you made a fatal mistake by not reading the fine print. I owe you . . . nothing! Heeheehee!"

"What?" She snatched the parchment from the man's hand.

"And even worse, you sold your service to me. You are now my servant. Isn't life just so much fun! Hahaha!"

"No . . . 'I hereby give myself to Auberon Earnen Elbegast for the next five years as both a dependent and a servant and expect no compensation [Other than guaranteed food and roofing for the duration of the contract] in return. I surrender all my possessions – property deeds, assets, worldly goods, personal affects, and dependents to my Master.'? What is this? I was supposed to sell my son to you, not myself!"

"Oh no, no, no! You sold your time and your possessions to me, as well as your child. That's what a 'dependent' is, darling. Dependent – someone who depends on you. As your child belongs to you, he now belongs to me. Anything in your name belongs to me. You belong to me for five years. Then I will cast you back into the slums and you get to start. All. Over. Heehee, doesn't that sound fun? Or if you don't want to be left with nothing, I can add an additional five years once yours is elapsed," He gracefully took the parchment back from Ceana.

"WHAT? No, this is bull shit! I refuse to acknowledge this as a legitimate contract. The courts will throw it out."

"Oh ho ho! Will they, now? And with what money will you get a lawyer with? This is a legitimate document; I can assure you. It's the "Transference of Trusts" Contract. In exchange for your assets and your servitude, I give you protection. Heeheehee!"

"How is this a legal document?" She demanded.

"Back in the age of chhhhhivalry! Men came up with a document to enslave unwitting, 'Independent' women, especially those women who had bastard children. A lone mother with a child or two. She was struggling – a benign looking fellow, strong and handsome, would go up to a struggling mother and offer her support. The contract seemed like a marriage proposal – the greedy women acquiesced the request, hoping to use his resources than ditch the man in divorce later. You cannot divorce from an 'Transference of Trusts' contract, though, as it says nothing about Holy Matrimony! It is as platonic as it comes! It is now used for simpler reason, but knowing the full history of it makes it easy for us to use it to its full potential."

It was hard to tell in the pale lighting, but her face was drained of her normal color. Only horror filled her mind and bile rose in her throat.

"As I said, it is strictly platonic. I cannot force you to have sex with me, as that's the first thing that seems to pop up in young women's minds. No, no, no, no! I want you to clean my house and cook my dinner. Things of that nature. I will send one of my men to search your belongings and claim your assets. Pleasure doing business with you, ma'am. Oops, I guess I get to call you whatever fancies me, huh? How about Maid Ceana?"

"But . . . why?" She eyed the bag of money, "Why would you go through the effort to show me that, if you had no intentions on paying me?"

"Ahahahaha! The old Bait and Switch. Visually appealing, an end goal in sight! It distracted you from reading this contract – so easily fooled!"

"You lied to me!"

"And you were selling your son! Aren't we both hideously savage inside? Except you are beautiful on the outside and I am horribly disfigured and most consider me a monster at first glance! But who is really more of a fiend than that of a mother who cares not for the safety of her own child?"

"Do not compare me to you!"

"Why should I not? Judging by the actions we both displayed, I'd say we are near the same level. Except I played you like a fiddle and you're just pissed off because I won."

The man rolled up the contract and stuck it in his coat pocket.

He picked up the young boy on the table, "Ah, yes, my prize for this meeting. Little Niles, was it? Hahaha, your mother is a shrew, though you won't be having to see her much after this," He limped to another room, child in his arms.

"Wait!" Ceana called, "What are you going to do with him?"

"Now you show concern," The disfigured man smiled, "Hmm, why should I answer that? More importantly, why do you care? Let me guess – as long as you never had to bear witness to any misgivings to your child, you could push it to the back of your mind and never pay attention to the nagging voice called YOUR CONSCIENCE? Now that you are stuck here, you get to witness the demise of your child? Am I on the right track, here? Or should I guess again?"

"Ugh," Ceana sat back down, unable to answer or meet the man's gaze.

"Less of a shrew, more of a field mouse. Little Bunny Fu Fu, hoppin' through the forest . . . Picking up the Field Mice and BOPPING THEM ON THE HEAD! Hahaha."

"The Bunny gets punished at the end, by a Great Faerie."

"Well, then, do you fancy yourself a bunny or a mouse?" The man hobbled off, leaving Ceana in the room by herself.

She began thinking of ways out of this new found mess. She would need to look over the document – or have someone more versed in it review it for her. This was supposed to be easy . . . drop the wretch off, get paid for it . . . Nothing more. Damn swindlers! It was this kind of word play that created shit situations to begin with.

She looked out the window – the rain kept pouring and pouring . . . A never ending storm.

(There is no way I am stuck here, cleaning this shithole for the next five years. I wanted to get rid of my burdens – not add more of them!)

In the other room, the disfigured man sat Niles down on the hard stone. The room was bare, but strangely warm. The bricks were exposed – no paneling or painting even attempted to hide its true colors. Niles saw out the window – A torrential storm would not cease its reign over the Earth, flooding it with its strangely beautiful destructive force.

It was still dark in this room. In a hole in the wall, the field mouse returned. In the other corner was a huge pile of money, not restrained by a bag or a box. The taste of blood still lingered in his mouth.

Old brick. A field mouse. Torrential rain. The horrifyingly disfigured man. A pile of money. The taste of blood . . . These were the only things that the young Niles could recount from this experience. Neither pleasant or painful . . . Just . . . was. This place existed in the very back of his mind – he could not access any more of it, no matter how hard he tried.

The disfigured man never harmed him – not that he could ever recall, anyway. But that was the last time he remembered seeing him . . . and was the last time he ever spent with his mother . . .


	3. Chapter 3 Nina's Plan

Nina's Plan

"Ugh," Niles shook his head, "Leave it to me to turn a simple mission like this and turn it into a family drama. Sorry, guys," He said to Silas and Corrin. Nina and Éponine were discussing something in the corner – they both looked upset with each other.

"It's okay, but I am more concerned about the 'Contracts out for our death' business . . ." Silas commented, "What should we do, Corrin? I mean, Éponine said she would send her guys to search for the posts and would meet us later."

"I think we should go back to the palace and at least inform Leo of the situation . . . I wouldn't bother Xander, though. He has more on his plate – this is the last thing he needs to worry about," Corrin said.

Éponine and Nina walked over to the main group, "I will meet you at the rendezvous point in five days, at dusk. By then I should know of the correct coordinates and we can make our move. I suggest getting rest and refreshment, as well as making sure you have all of your weapons and salves up to date."

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Niles said.

"Also . . . I want you to take Nina for the time being."

"What?" Nina and Niles said in unison.

"My work is more covert – I can't have amateurs slowing me down. I figured you could at least keep her out of danger while I gather intelligence."

". . . I mean . . . sure . . . but are you all right with this, Nina?" Niles asked.

"I, um. I suppose . . . Don't think this changes anything, though. I don't know you – I'm not sure I want to know you," Nina said sharply.

"Watch your tongue, girl," Éponine folded her arms, "You are already in trouble. Don't push your luck with that attitude of yours."

"MY attitude? You keep treating me like a child – and now that it's convenient for you, I get to hang out with my father? I asked you SEVERAL times about him – and your answer was always the same. Now that I'm a burden to you, you throw me at him?"

"You are not a burden. You – "

"Save it, Mother. I'm done talking with you. Sure, why not, I'll hang out with the Father I never knew. Who knows? Maybe he'll fill the void that you left in me. Good bye, Mother. And good riddance."

Éponine took two steps toward Nina and smacked her.

"Rush to your own conclusions, fine, but the truth is you'll be dead in mere minutes if you tried to do what I do. You want to see the real world? The world that I've hidden from you? You lived a sheltered life and was given everything I never could have. Save your bull shit for another day, Nina. Go, fill that empty gapping void. At least you never went hungry, cold, or homeless. But sure, I'm a monster for having this life that I could never abandon – a life that refuses to leave me be. A life that was never meant for you, and here you are, rushing into it with open arms. You want to see the devastation for yourself? Don't come crying to me when it's too much for you."

Éponine walked away before Nina could retaliate, "Stealing is a sin. In my youth, you could easily get killed for simply trying to survive. Don't pretend like you understand a damned thing about this life." She vanished without another word.

Nina touched the sore spot on her face – blood pounded in her checks. They would never stop arguing about this, that much she knew. She turned to face her . . . father . . .

He seemed unsure what to do – he might have only agreed to watch her for Éponine's benefit, not to actually get to know her. She already decided it wouldn't be worth her time to fully understand her father's position and was disowning her mother. At the first chance she got, she would ditch the old man and find her own path.

"Um . . . Well, then, shall we head back to the castle?" Corrin said, equally unsure of how to react.

"Castle?" Nina asked.

"Yes. Windmire isn't too far away and I think we need to talk to Leo."

"The castle is heavily guarded as well," Niles agreed, "So it's not like anyone would be dumb enough to make a move while we are in the safety of Castle Krakenburg . . . not unless they wish for quick death. The only problem is reaching there without running into enemies."

". . . We should be extra careful. Nina, can you fight?" Corrin asked.

"Yes! I have my bow – I can protect myself."

"Okay. Let's get moving, then," Corrin ordered, "We better stop in town first to make sure we have everything we need . . ."

They moved out in quiet awkwardness. Nina opened up to Corrin mostly and a little bit to Silas, but Niles had very little to say to her. What was there to say? 'Sorry I didn't know about your existence – wanna be friends now?' That didn't quite cover all the issues they had, nor did it seem likely. Though it seemed like Corrin and her were becoming best buddies.

Well, at least she'll talk to someone . . .

Niles wasn't even really jealous of the fact that Nina would talk to Corrin – he wasn't surprised, either. Corrin had this natural ability to make people trust him and for good reason, too. Had he been a different sort, he could have used that to a different advantage.

He found it funny how much alike Nina was to Éponine – her attitude, her demeanor . . . he didn't see much of her combat skills, though. He did notice she was an archer; something that Éponine never aspired to be.

He thought of a few ways to break the ice, but there was a lot of tension between the two of them, plus the residual tension left by Éponine.

Niles walked toward Corrin and said in a hushed voice, "Hey, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Haha, since when do you need permission?" Corrin laughed.

". . . True . . ." Niles sighed, "I wanted to know how you're holding up."

"Huh? Me? Why?" Corrin tilted his head to the side, eyeing Nina who was (probably) imagining Silas and Corrin as a couple – a fantasy of hers that she 'accidently' let slip out, "Shouldn't you be more worried about her?"

"It's just . . . I know that I did some things in the past that may or may not have a way of catching up to me. But this is a new extreme, even for me and it . . . um . . . well, I have a daughter now . . . and that kind of impacts us both?"

"I suppose it does, in a way . . . But I'm not that surprised. And I'm definitely not upset or anything."

"Wait, you're not surprised? What does that mean?"" Niles folded his arms.

"Well . . ." Corrin shrugged, "Y'know. The way you used to whore yourself around, it just isn't all that surprising to me."

"You little – Oh, I miss the days when you were too afraid to talk to me like that. I'll just have double up your punishment later."

"I'm terrified," Corrin said flatly, though a slight smirk emerged from the sides of his mouth.

"You should be," He whispered into Corrin's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. Niles smiled, not disappointed in his response.

After Corrin recomposed himself, he said, "You should probably talk to Nina, though. Here, I'll go over there with you . . ."

"W-wait a minute . . ."

"What's the matter?" Corrin asked, "You've chatted up multiple people – man, woman, dog – this should be no different, right?"

"Dog? No, I'll get to that one later . . . It's kind of different when it's family? Except I wouldn't really know what talking to family is like. And I'm NOT flirting with my daughter. There are lines, Corrin, lines that I didn't know I had."

"Huh," Corrin laughed, "Now THAT'S a surprise!"

"You're enjoying this way too much," Niles frowned, "I thought you were the empathetic one and I was the sardonic, sadistic bastard who laughed at other people's misery? Why are you taking my role?"

"To give you a taste of your own medicine every once in a while. Now . . . what's a good ice breaker? All she's talked to me about is 'how good I'd look fucking Silas', which isn't exactly wholesome conversation. Other than her wild sex fantasizes, I have NO idea what else she likes."

"She must have gotten her tastes from me. Makes it no less awkward, but in a strange and twisted sort of way, I'm kind of proud."

"Anyway," Corrin made a face, "WHOLESOME conversation."

"Right. Wholesome . . ." Niles went quiet. Corrin waited. He had no wholesome topics, did he? Corrin sighed – this was going to be harder than he thought.

Meanwhile, Nina started thinking of ways to blow off her father and his party. She kind of wanted to see the castle, though, so she had mixed feelings. At the very least, she made a friend (Corrin) and a potential secondary friend (Silas). Her useless father, however, refused to even acknowledge her.

They were in between towns now – the Fancy Estate and the rich surrounding town were behind them now. They were on route to another town, less fancy and rich, where they could rest for the night. Did they not take into account that Nina – the only woman – would probably want her own room? This already spelled disaster.

The scenery was pretty enough, though. Nohr was not known for its landscapes, but it had its moments.

Nina looked over at Corrin. He was speaking to Niles and she wondered what they were discussing. Corrin looked serious and Niles looked like he was concentrating on something. Were they arguing? She subtly made her way toward them.

She could kind of overhear what they were saying now.

"Come on, it's not that hard . . ." Corrin sighed.

"Yes. Yes, it is. There isn't a single thing I can think of that isn't dirty. All of my 'ice breakers' are innuendos and flirts. I am NOT doing either!"

"Just ask her about her hometown or her friends."

"That's prying. I'm not going to do that. Just because you go up to people you just met and ask them all sorts of invasive questions, doesn't mean I'm going to do the same."  
"Woah! I'M the invasive one? Really? ME? Ugh, fine, Niles, you figure this out on your own." Corrin walked away from Niles. The ex-outlaw almost said something, but decided to just let it go. Corrin went over to Silas and started talking with him instead and Niles wondered about Nina's fantasy for a split second. Silas wasn't . . . was he?

No. Of course not. Then again, it was possible . . .

"Careful, Father, you might lose him to Silas," Nina snickered, "That's okay. I've already offered to help him rebound."

"What the – that was rude," Niles frowned, "Besides, Corrin and I aren't really fighting. Sometimes I run my mouth and he leaves for a while and then comes back."

"What does he do when he runs off? My guess is he's hooking up with other guys. Probably more satisfying men, at that."

"I doubt that. I keep him pretty satisfied."

"So you think," Nina winked, "But it's written all over his face. He's bored, you're an asshole, and it's probably time for him to move on. It was great talking to you . . . Father."

"Now wait a second. You aren't going anywhere. I would kill someone for saying that to my face so openly. So you and I are going to have a chat so I don't end up murdering you later."

"What's there to talk about? If you're so sure that he's not going anywhere, then why are you getting so upset?"

"That's beside the point. You are being offensive and rude and I don't take lightly to either of those. Apologize to me and it might make things right between us."

"Ha! As if all the time in the world could make things 'right' between us. We're total strangers – you were my sperm donor, that's about where our 'relationship' ends."

"Great. Now I know where we stand. Get out of my face," Niles stopped in place. Nina did the same thing.

"Why don't you make me?" Nina said.

"That can be arranged, girl," Niles didn't flinch, though inwardly this wasn't exactly how he imagined things going down, "(Corrin, now would be the time to notice and step in . . .)"

"Well? What's the matter, old man, are you going to do something? Or am I going to die of boredom first?" She taunted while folding her arms.

Corrin and Silas took notice of them and Corrin sighed.

"Really?" He walked up behind Nina and looked at Niles. He didn't say anything and Nina just backed away, "I knew you didn't have the guts to do anything."

Corrin sighed heavily, "So, what happened? I see the ice breaker went well . . ."

"It's not my fault," He said, getting more and more enraged, "She was taunting me."

"And threatening her was the appropriate response?"

"I wasn't threatening her. That girl is unreasonable."

"I wonder where she gets that from . . ."

"Excuse me? Now hold on a minute . . ."

"Niles. She's sixteen. How old are you? Too old to be goaded by stupid, childish taunts," Corrin glanced over at Nina, who had her arms folded as she leaned against a tree. Corrin took his attention off of her and placed it back on Niles, "So are you going to tell me what happened or –"

"Why? Are you going to scold me like I'm 12? I'm not sticking around for that."

"I don't want to argue about this. I just want to know what happened."

"Sounds like it," Niles walked ahead and said, "We should get moving before it gets too dark."

"Niles!" Corrin yelled after him, "Hold on a minute . . ."

"No. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to discuss it later. Until then, you can come up with a multitude of ways to blame me for this. I look forward to it."

"I'm not 'blaming' you for anything. I just want to know what happened."

"I think you already 'know' what happened. Anything I say would just be a pointless waste of breath."

Corrin didn't say anything in response. His mind became a blank slate. It was true that what he said came off as what sounded like an accusation, but in all reality he could see Nina being just as much at fault, if not more. Dispelling that tension would be hard enough, but now Niles was becoming hostile toward Corrin – which would only prove to make the situation ten times worse.

He walked behind Niles, trying to think of a way to calm him down. If he came across condescending, that would blow this entire 'argument' out of proportion.

Corrin hated any kind of 'bad' energy between the two of them. For the most part, they were a happy couple. He avoided drama and tension like it was the plague, but sometimes it just couldn't be avoided . . .

Then Corrin wondered about Silas. He was kind of the awkward fourth wheel here in this messed up family drama. It was clear that there was arguing and hostility, and Silas was caught in the eye of it all. Corrin felt really bad about that.

As they walked, Nina decided she wouldn't bother sticking around. Unless her father left the group, she could not stomach being around him any longer. She felt no remorse for what she said and she would most certainly not apologize for the things she said.

No, she would wait and see what happened next, then would bolt again. It would be a little more difficult on her own, but she could find her friends' hideout and continue down her own path. She was bummed that she would miss out on seeing the castle, but this was more than she could handle.

Off on the horizon the next town soon became visible. Corrin decided to wait until they were alone to discuss their problem. Silas was between Niles and Nina. Nina stayed back a few paces, distancing herself from their group. Corrin started to worry. If their morale was down – if they were too busy arguing – that would leave them vulnerable. That could get them all killed.

"Silas, can I talk to you a moment?" Corrin said quietly, "First of all, I am really, really sorry about this. I can imagine how . . . awkward this is for you."

"Yeah. A little bit. What do you need?"

"Keep an eye on Nina while we're in town. I'm going to try and talk to Niles."

"Did something happen?" Silas asked, quickly becoming confused by this situation and not sure how to handle himself.

"Kind of. I'm just afraid that if we're being watched, we won't stand a chance the way we are now. I'm going to try and calm this down."

"Well, all right, I will do as you say."

"Thanks," Corrin assessed the situation again. The town they were coming up on was one of the lesser towns. Since Xander became king, he tried to increase security and jobs to discourage crime. Corrin was a little nervous about staying there, so he wondered if stopping briefly and getting camping gear was a better solution than staying in town. He wished that he brought more people along, but they did not anticipate a difficult task, nor this new ominous threat.

He needed Niles and Silas' thoughts before he wanted to proceed with a decision, but he wouldn't imagine Niles would give him a well thought answer at this point. Silas would, but Corrin made it a conscious effort to make all his comrades feel included in the decisions, not ordered around like puppets.

As they entered town, Corrin said to Nina, "You might find the shops in town and see if there's anything you like. Silas, you go with her and see if we could use anything."

"Okay," Silas nodded.

"Hmm, I wonder . . . all right. I'll see you later . . ." They left and Nina thought about her next move. After they left, Niles snickered.

"So, just me and you, huh? Gods, you're so painfully obvious at times, it hurts. So, am I getting lectured now or we goin' to wait til I'm trying to sleep?"

". . . You remember what Nina said to her mother, right? About running away from home and her not noticing?"

"Hm? What, she said that? I don't remember," Niles shook his head, "Why?"

"I don't know. It's just a gut feeling, but . . . I think she might try to ditch us the minute she can."

". . .Why would you say that?"

"It's hard to say. I don't know her that well, but from what little I do know . . . it just seems like she's looking for a chance to escape."

"Which is why you sent Silas with her," Niles realized.

"Yes. But we should migrate over there, just to be safe."

"Okay. So we aren't going to the Inn first?" They started walking.

"Well, that's the other thing . . . I don't know if it's a good idea to stay here or not," Corrin looked around, "Ever since Xander's crowning, things have shifted. Some people have seen it as a good thing, while others . . ."

". . . Not so much. You're worried that you'll be recognized?"

"We're being pursued. Maybe not yet, but if someone knows something and it gets back to them, we could find ourselves fighting sooner rather than later. I would really prefer regrouping and having some backup before we run into that sort of trouble. And if Nina wants to run away, that could endanger her life. As well as ours. I don't like being in this position. Especially if we all aren't on the same wavelength."

"Well, I'm sorry, but the way she talks to me –"

"Is the same way she talked to her mother. I think I know what she's doing. Let me talk with her later, but for now . . . just try to stay as calm as you can, okay?"

Niles did not answer. Instead, he took a quick check of the surrounding area. It was a little more rundown, but still lively in its own way. Whether or not it was dangerous was yet to be determined.

"And about earlier," Corrin said, assuming Niles wouldn't answer his last question, "it's not as though I was finding you at fault. I do think you could have handled it better, but I'm fairly positive she was instigating it. I'm sorry it sounded like an accusation, but that wasn't my intention. What did she say to you?"

Niles was still silent, but he was listening and processing what Corrin said.

Corrin waited patiently, doing exactly what Niles was doing in the meantime – assessing the town and looking for signs of trouble and criminal activity.

"It was just stupid taunting," Niles lied, not wanting to discuss what she actually said and how upset it made him. Not to mention how he second guessed Corrin's loyalty.

"Hm, Okay," Corrin did not push, but that didn't mean he knew there was more to it than Niles said. If he kept pushing now, it would only make him angry again.

"So . . . what do you think her issue is, exactly? Mommy and daddy issues?" Niles asked earnestly.

"Something like that. I know that Éponine said she wanted children and that she was more than happy to have Nina, but her 'job' probably made it so she was scarcely home. I think it's somewhere between seeking her attention and approval and unsure if having a relationship with you is even worth striving for."

"What do you mean by that, exactly?"

". . . I think she doesn't know herself if she wants to get to know you or not. I think she is curious, but she is also guarded. So if she simply pushes you away, she wouldn't have to face rejection or disappointment."

"Hmph," Niles shook his head.

"I suppose she expects the worse from you, so making you out to be a villain is easier than attempting to establish a relationship."

"You don't hold back, do you?" Niles laughed a little.

"I'm not saying she's right, but I do wonder if that's what she's doing. I have a feeling she's trying to distance herself from her mother . . ."

"Well, maybe, who knows," They were at the shopping center now and Niles said, "I think I'll check out the town a little more in depth while you collect the other two," Niles sighed, "Talk to Silas, see what he thinks. It might be more dangerous to camp out in the open. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done."

Niles turned away and started walking the way they came.

"A-All right. Hey, are we good, then?" Corrin asked. He stopped. Corrin couldn't see Niles' face, but he grinned. He turned a little to look at Corrin, revealing a neutral expression and masking the somewhat mischievous face he had seconds prior.

He grabbed and pulled Corrin in by his wrists – a very sudden movement that caught the dragon prince off guard. Niles slammed him into the wall, unseen by outsiders' eyes. He gasped in shock, then pain. Their eyes met before Niles kissed Corrin just as roughly.

The rogue's hands left Corrin's wrists and grabbed his hips instead, pulling them closer together. Corrin threw his arms around Niles' neck, locking his fingers together and holding on for support.

Corrin pulled away and chuckled, "Is that a yes?"

Instead of answering, Niles slid his hand up Corrin's back, yanked him closer and resumed attacking him. Corrin released his hold and ran one hand through Niles' hair. The other one wrapped around his waist.

Whenever they were this close together, Corrin could always feel roughly the same emotions and feelings. Corrin was an empath and so he could read other people's feelings – happiness, hope, pain, despair – as well as their physical well-being. The more in tuned he became, the better he was, even with people he didn't know. So when he was with Niles, he was overwhelmed by emotions – both good and bad, but always very intense.

Even beyond what Niles felt from moment to moment, there was always something beneath the surface – a certain negativity that was ever present, no matter how much he tried to ignore it or push it down. He brushed it off, merely saying that it was all in the past and there was no way it could hurt him in the present. If that were true, Corrin wouldn't be able to feel it so actively.

Maybe it wasn't dangerous. Maybe it would always be a part of him. But the closer they got and the more involved their interactions, the more it called to Corrin's sensitive feelers. Niles pain became real – Corrin was engulfed by memories of a horrifying childhood with a mixture of hopelessness, despair, and anger.

Corrin didn't always know how to handle that. He expected it, he mentally protected himself from it, but it did overwhelm him. For a long time, in self-defense, he put out an aura of healing. Unaware of that until only a while ago, Corrin realized that sub-consciously he was trying to ease that pain in Niles. Whether the ex-outlaw realized it or not . . . well, Corrin couldn't be sure.

The hand on Niles' back clenched, digging razor nails into his skin. Niles responded in kind, biting Corrin's lip and tasting the blood of a fresh cut. Niles licked it, and pulled back.

"Now look what you made me do . . ."

"Me?" Corrin shook his head, "This is your fault."

"I suppose I could take the credit, this time," Niles let go of Corrin and stepped away from him. Corrin was a bit flustered, as usual. If Niles continued, he wasn't so sure he could will himself to stop. It looked like they were both enjoying it, though, so he had to remember this for later . . .

If they stayed in tonight, he'd have a better chance than if they camped. But if Corrin was really worried of an assault, he might insist on waiting til they returned to the castle.

Damn it all . . . why did the young prince have to be so alluring?

"Such a tease," Niles chuckled.

"You started it."

"I suppose I did. I intend to finish it, too, so keep that in mind."

"Heh. I'm sure," Corrin stood up straight and inhaled, trying to calm himself down.

"Better make sure that brat of mine doesn't run off," Niles reminded him, "Seriously, though, are you okay with all of this?"

"Well, I'm going to have to be. What about you?"

"Hm," Niles shook his head, but didn't give a verbal response.

". . . Do you want to get to know her?"

". . . I guess that depends on her. I . . . wouldn't mind it," Niles turned abruptly and said, "Anyway, I'll give you my final verdict once I've scoured the place. Catch up with you later." Niles left without a response. Corrin sighed – somewhat in relief, but still . . . they weren't in the clear yet. He decided to go look for Silas and Nina, hoping he was wrong about her flighty tendency.

Nina sighed heavily. The shops were boring, she had very little earnings, and Silas was seemingly glued to her side. There was nothing to look at and nothing to buy and she couldn't run away with Corrin's body guard so close by.

She wondered what her father was doing. He and Corrin went off by themselves, presumably. She wondered if they were arguing. She then wondered if they made up. Then she wondered what that consisted of.

'Ew, that's my father,' She thought and huffed loudly. 'I finally find a real-life man on man pairing, and it's my father. Ugh!' She looked frustrated and received dirty looks from the locals.

"Is something wrong?" Silas asked.

"Nope. All good."

"Are you sure?"

"Ugh, I said I'm fine!" She kept walking without much of a word.

"You know, I have a daughter about your age," Silas said, "Maybe when we get back I can introduce you two."

"Wait a minute, how old are you?" Nina stopped and eyed Silas, "I mean, if you had kids, wouldn't they be like 3 or something?"

"Well . . ." Silas chuckled awkwardly, "That's a bit difficult to explain."

"Hm . . ." She did appear curious about that, "Does Corrin have any kids?" She asked.

"No, he never . . . ahem, but there are others of our comrades that had children. All about your age . . . Let's see, at the palace there's Prince Siegbert and Prince Forrest. Princess Ophelia, my daughter Sophie. Soleil is probably still there. Some of the others come and go. Percy is a bit younger than you, but he tends to hang out with the Wyvern Knights. If Lady Azura is there, her son, Shigure, and her daughter, Midori, would also be there."

Silas wondered who was all there. Some came and went to do errands and travel. It was hard to say who was where anymore.

"Hmm . . ." She was genuinely curious. If she kept this pace, she would get to meet a few princes it sounded like. She wondered what they were like.

"Oh, Prince Takumi visits with Lord Leo on occasion, so you might meet his child, Kiragi. Kiragi and Forrest are really good friends as well."

"Ah . . . Hehee . . ." She smiled widely.

"Um?"

"What are Forrest and Kiragi like?" She giggled.

"U-um . . . Well, Forrest is a bit . . . what is the polite word for it? He likes to dress like a woman. He makes everything he wears and styles his hair."

"Aww . . . And Kiragi?" She pushed.

"He is kinda the opposite. He likes to camp and hunt. They make an interesting pair."

"Oooh, polar opposites. Destined to meet! Admiring the other's life style from afar! Hehehe . . . Hahaha . . ." Nina left this plane of existence and traveled to a foreign world that made Silas more uncomfortable by the second.

Corrin found them and noted the look on Nina's face . . . He dared not asked what she was thinking about.

"Hey, I talked to Niles. I think we're all good on that front. He's checking this town to see if it's safe for us to stay here. I was thinking about camping instead. Any thoughts on the subject?"

"Well, I am good with either. Are we all staying in one room if we stay in?" Nina snapped back to reality.

"Oh, no. I'm not staying with three grown men. Not going to happen. Especially not with my father."

"Welcome back, Nina," Corrin sighed, "How do you feel about camping?"

"I've done it before."

"It would literately be no different," Silas said, "We would all still be huddled together, just around a fire."

"But we'd have different tents. If I have to look at my father's face for more than five minutes at a time, I think I might hurl. My vote is for camping."

". . . All right . . . Silas?" Corrin said, though he wanted to pull Nina aside and straighten her tone out before Niles got back.

"Doesn't matter to me. If we camp, we can cover more ground and make it to the castle earlier than later tomorrow. I will go price camping gear for three – I mean, four. No wait, three . . .I assume you and Niles are sharing?" Silas stammered.

"Probably. So should I count that as 2 for camping?"

"Sure, why not. Unless Niles has a different opinion," Silas nodded, "All right, I'll be right back. I won't spend anything until I hear from you."

"Okay," Corrin approved. Silas left quickly, ready to get away from Nina.

"We need to talk," Corrin said.

"What about?" Nina replied.

"Come, let's walk . . ." Corrin motioned for her to follow. She complied, but started to guess what Corrin wanted to talk about.

"Do you know what your mother does? Specifically?" He asked. She was thrown by this question; she figured he was going to bitch her out about being nice to her idiot father.

"I do now . . . but she doesn't tell me much and I'm tired of being treated like an idiot kid who needs her protection all the time. I'm an adult now and if she can't see that, then good riddance."

"Hm. You also said that she didn't tell you much about Niles?"

". . .No. I never knew much about him, other than his name and they were childhood friends or something."

"So, bearing all that in mind, don't you think you're being a little too hard on Niles? He didn't know about you – your mother kept that knowledge pretty low key. I can't say what she did was either right or wrong. Perhaps it is both, but Niles . . . he had no part in that decision."

"Well, if mom thought that he wouldn't want to have me, that's enough."

"You trust your mother's judgement on that? I thought you wanted to go off your own intuition. Seems like you're avoiding it rather than facing it and discovering your own feelings on the matter. It also seems like you're afraid of what Niles might actually say. This isn't an easy situation, I understand that . . . but if you don't talk to him now and straighten this out, you may not get the chance later."

"What are you saying?" She frowned, "Don't tell me what to do!"

"I'm not. I'm saying the chance to discover a new relationship with your father is present to you. That may not always be the case." Corrin thought back to the fathers he had – all of them were gone now, "All I'm saying is . . . something as simple as having your parents is not always a given. There are some of us . . . who wish to have that opportunity again." He only met his mother a handful of times in his adult life, and couldn't remember her for the entire duration of it.

"Hmph," Nina didn't change her stance.

"Do as you wish, but . . . whatever you decide, don't regret it later." Corrin remembered having nightmares of the choices he made in his life. Had that fateful clash in the fields of Hoshido been different – had he actually chosen a side . . .

He was grateful that he was able to unite his family. He could only imagine what would have happened otherwise.

Nina was still not convinced, but she conceded, "I'll be civil with him. I can promise nothing else." Corrin exhaled sharply.

"That'll have to do for now . . . oh, and . . . this is just my thoughts, but it's hard to tell if we're actually being pursued or not, so stay on guard. I would be suspicious of anyone until we return to the castle."

"Okay," She nodded.

"Thanks for listening."

"No problem. Hm, you seem very peaceful. Do you always try to keep the peace like this?"

"Haha, you have no idea. Let me tell you about Leo and Takumi, before they became friends. I seriously thought they would kill one another before the war ended."

"Prince Leo and Prince Takumi, right? You know both of them?" She inquired.

"Oh, yeah . . . They're both my brothers. Though beforehand they were each princes of their respective countries – countries that were at a war with no end in sight. They were enemies before they were friends. And now . . . well, we're all like extended family."

"So you're a prince of Nohr and Hoshido?" She asked.

"Yeah. That about sums it up."

"How did that happen?" She was an inquisitive mind, wasn't she?

"I was . . . kidnapped at a young age. I grew up with my Nohrian siblings, but had roots in Hoshido. They are both my family."

"What?" She looked shocked, "You were friends with the family that kidnapped you? Why?"

"Um . . . well, it wasn't like it was my siblings fault for my kidnapping. My brothers and sisters were nothing but kind and accepting of me, even if I'm not related by blood . . . I share a bond with all of them, just the same."

"Wow . . . I had no idea . . . was it scarring?" Nina asked.

"I don't think so," Corrin responded, "But then again, it happened when I was young enough to not remember it . . . It's all in the past, at any rate. The Nohr and Hoshidan families get along well now. I'm glad, too, because I didn't want to have to choose between the two. As I said before . . . I love them both."

"You're an oddball, aren't you? So . . . are your brothers attractive?"

"Wh-what?" Corrin blushed.

"Well, you're not related by blood, so it's okay, right? Are they attractive?"

"W-well . . . I mean . . . yes . . . all four of them are handsome in their own right. B-but –"

"If you could marry one of them, would you?"

"Ack," Corrin closed his eyes. Will these prodding questions ever come to an end?

"They're all married now, anyway, so that would do no one any good to answer," Corrin said, trying to completely dodge the question. This was almost as bad as when Niles confessed that, if Leo wanted to, he would have fucked him in an instant.

"If you could choose one – " Corrin grimaced, then ignored the rest of her question. After a few moments of silence passed, Nina commented, "You know, you're a bit of a prude. I thought we could discuss hot guys and such, but . . . I don't know. This isn't as satisfying as I thought it'd be."

"Sorry to disappoint," Corrin exhaled. This was exhausting.

"I'm just asking hypothetically. This is more or less for my . . . journals later. So if you could choose one of your brothers, which would it be?"

". . . Hypothetically?" Corrin asked, though he didn't want to discuss it.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter. I think about hot guys all the time, so it's more or less educational for me. I don't run into very many . . . men like you, so I get giddy when the opportunity comes up. So, please, if you don't mind . . ."

"Well, you see, there is a difference . . . you are a . . . tad younger than I am. I think in many places that makes me the pervert (somehow) and this conversation would be frowned upon. I'm not in the mood to be blacklisted."

"It's not like these are advances on me. I just want to know if you've ever had sexual fantasies about your brothers."

"Oh my gods, I can't take this anymore," Corrin walked away from Nina, then stopped, "(I'm supposed to be watching her . . . Damn it . . .)" He turned around and came back.

"I thought you were storming off?" Nina said with a huge smile. Strangely similar to the smile Niles gave when he was making Corrin uncomfortable. Was that really genetic?

"I can't. Potential enemies and the like," Corrin frowned – almost pouted.

"Well, I can think of a few ways we can pass the time."

"DO NOT say things like that!" Corrin practically shouted.

"Okay, okay, you can answer my questions?" Nina was starting to get a kick out of making Corrin as uncomfortable as possible.

"Unnngh . . ." Was his response, "You are WORSE than Niles!"

"Oh, do tell?" She heckled with glee, "I'm ready and willing!"

"Are you doing this on purpose? What will make you stop?"

"If you answer my questions!" Nina giggled.

"You are – do you even know what my brothers look like?"

"I've seen sketches – some of the noblemen have portraits of the royal families. I have an idea of what they look like, yes. Though feel free to explain in depth how they appear to you."

Corrin couldn't believe what they were talking about. This girl was beyond invasive.

"Ahh, fine, we don't have to talk about this. I guess dreams don't come true," She frowned and sounded really disappointed. Was this merely a ruse to make Corrin feel bad? What did HE have to feel bad about?

"I guess I can go in a public Shoppe or something and cry about how a mean boy hurt my feelings."

"You wouldn't –"

"I'm sobbing already, can't you see?" She was smiling broadly.

"That's going to fool absolutely no one."

"Oh, no, just you wait – wait until I tell them that my boyfriend slept with my father and now they both are threatening to abandon me in the countryside."

"That's –" Corrin was less than amused.

"I could get away with it. I'm pretty sure we're closer in age than you and my father. Imagine the looks the two of you would get! Not to mention the town riot."

"You would upset an entire town, get Niles and me locked up, and potentially threaten all of our safety because I won't answer your silly questions? That is BEYOND ludicrous!"

"Heehee, would you put it past me? I just might."

Niles rejoined Corrin during this conversation, though he could see the seething look on Corrin's face and could only imagine what Nina did or said to get that reaction out of him.

"Hey . . . I'm back with my 'report', I guess you could call it. So . . . what did I miss?" Niles asked, trying to snap Corrin out of his anger.

"We're abandoning your daughter in the countryside," Corrin said sharply, not missing a beat.

"Huh?" Niles raised an eyebrow. Was it really that bad?

"Aww, that's your answer?" Nina chuckled.

"We're going camping," Corrin decided, "I want far, FAR away from this town."

"Uh . . . Okay? I was going to say that this town is relatively safe and if we want to stay here, we could . . ." Niles scratched his head. He was so confused that it started to hurt his head.

"No, that's okay. Camping is fine," He walked after Silas and the two of them followed in silence. Nina had a huge grin on her face and Niles was still left in the dark. He would find out later, no doubt, so he just decided to drop it until then.

Once they met up with Silas, Corrin gave him the okay to buy the supplies needed to survive the night and rushed them away from the town.

At the entrance, before they could leave, Nina happened to notice someone she recognized.

"Braden?" She asked.

"Nina! Oh, good, you escaped that estate!"

"You really should get out of here. I'm traveling with the people who busted us."

"What?" He exclaimed, then noticed the 3 men behind her, "Why are you with them? Are you a prisoner?"

"No, no! I just . . . I'm glad you escaped. How are the others?"

"We all made it. Do you need help? I can get you out of this jam." He said, readying his weapon.

"Wait, no, that's not . . . These are associates of my mother's; it was just a misunderstanding. I'll probably not be back for a while, so don't be too worried if I don't show up." She said.

"Got it . . . Well, if you're sure . . . I'll see you around, Nina," Then the young man ran off.

". . . Deciding to stay after all?" Corrin asked, easing up a little bit.

"For now," She winked. She had an escape plan for when she was ready to ditch them, but for now, she would see how things panned out.

The four left to cover ground until the day ended. However, Braden was still watching, unbeknownst to the party, and he sent a pigeon off to deliver a message.

"Garman, Jagger . . . Nina did not come back with us . . . so we'll have to take her out with the rest of Niles' party," Braden said to two associates.

"Unfortunate. She's damn fine," one of them said. The other remained quiet.

"Yeah, she's hot . . . she's just as crazy as her mother. Too bad, the attractive ones always have a screw or two loose. Eh, well, we'll have to kill her just the same."

"Gotcha."

"Hm," The silent one nodded.

"Wait for the signal. We strike at night, when they're asleep."


End file.
